This nontechnical book discusses both the advantages and the disadvantages of integrating expert systems with mainstream business computing. While the book is primarily designed for managers, it could also interest those computer professionals who have had little or no exposure to this topic.

Expert systems grew out of an effort to model the problem-solving capabilities of expert human problem solvers who worked in narrow application areas. As a natural evolution, the techniques associated with expert systems are now being applied to a much broader source of knowledge than that held by individual experts. Based upon expanded knowledge bases, these systems are called “knowledge systems.” A central theme of the book is that managers should investigate how the use of this technology can produce a strategic competitive advantage.

Chapter 2 gives a brief history of the evolution of AI tools and introduces the concept of dealing with uncertainty. Gallagher uses examples to support his discussions of rule-based and frame-based systems and backward and forward chaining processing of knowledge bases.

Chapter 3, “Evaluating Knowledge Systems Development Tools as Mainstream Business Computing Systems,” looks at the integration of knowledge systems technology with traditional applications development tools and systems. Chapter 4 presents examples of simple knowledge systems, and chapter 5 is a good discussion of the real differences between the development of a knowledge system and traditional program development.

The second half of the book will be the most valuable for many readers. The author describes three systems in reasonable detail as an illustration of the variety of available knowledge systems development tools. He applies these three systems--M.1 from Teknowledge, GURU from Micro Data Base, and the Expert System Environment from IBM--to the same “Promotion Advisor” problem.

The appendix contains the completed systems produced by each development tool. Discussions of the features of each package reinforce concepts that were introduced in the first half of the book.